Leaderboard

Finally some other news people can talk about besides outlets

Hello ChatGPT, nice to see you again.

First let me say the weather improved. It was actually nice and sunny. Considering it was 52, cloudy and freezing, I call this a win. Now let get into Jamie's. Our waiter seemed to be a bit overwhelmed despite it not being full. So we waited awhile to get our order taken. My brother always gets a burratta but he brought 2 bruschetta instead which MB ate and Robin judged. I got arracini and they were cold and dry. Robin got the Super Salmon and seafood linguine. Her pasta was raw. The other 3 of us got the crispy chicken sandwich and it was grilled and rubbery, nothing like what I had on Mariner in Jan. I didn't eat it, my brother finished mine and MB's. Thankfully the fries were good and hot. My brother got the eggplant and Ceasars salad. He was so disappointed in that salad and he said the eggplant was the only decent thing. I got through arribiatta pasta and it tasted okay but it was cold. Dessert was sorbet and banana splits. The mango was alright but the raspberry and lemon weren't set properly. We stuffed ourselves on bread and fries,so we were full but highly dissatisfied. Robin remarked about how Giovanni's was waaaay better. Rooms are clean and spacious. But of course the vintages are brand new. Robin asked where their balcony was and MB told we asked for virtual balcony remember and she was like..."huh, maybe, I don't know" and sat on their couch and went to sleep . They delivered our water loose and all our tickets are here. We have MTD at 7:45. Despite welcome aboard being my least favorite I am looking forward to seeded rolls.

Looking forward to Labadee becoming available and will go with no concerns. Love Labadee.

Ship: Liberty of the Seas Itinerary: 9 Nights Canada/New England - Boston, Portland, Sydney, Halifax, Saint John Party: Me (39M), mom and dad Cruise Experience: My 4th cruise with RC, parent’s 7th with RC, we’ve also done Princess, Carnival and MSC Room: 1702, Aft oceanview balcony on deck 10 Food: We ate at the Windjammer for breakfast, some lunches and some dinners and MDR for a few lunches and most dinners (we had early set time dining). The food was decent, nothing exceptional, but a good amount of variety. The service in the MDR was amazing. Dinner never lasted longer than an hour and when we wanted to make an early show, they were able to get us out in 30 minutes (we skipped dessert). Ship: Liberty is an older ship, so the decor is a bit dated, but everything was clean and well-maintained (Per the captain, Liberty is going into dry dock in 2026 and may be getting some part of the amplification it was supposed to get before the pandemic hit). We had 4200 people on the sailing and outside of elevators and embarkation day lunch, there didn’t seem to be that many issues with crowding. There are a lot of hot tubs on this ship (7 in total) and given that this was a cooler weather cruise, you could usually get a hot tub all to yourself. My dad really enjoyed the free sauna and steam room that’s in the locker room. Room: This was our favorite room to date. The balcony was huge, much bigger than we expected (it comfortably fit 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a table) and the aft views were amazing. We caught amazing sunrises and sunsets on the balcony. The room itself was pretty typical with 2 twin beds put together and a sofa bed that was pretty big. It comfortably fit 3 adults and could comfortably fit 2 adults and 2 kids. Passenger Mix: This was, by far, the oldest and most experienced passenger mix I’ve seen. For Love and Marriage, the “newlywed” couple was married for 5 years, middle couple was married for 45 years, oldest couple was married for 71 years. There was around 100 kids and nearly ¼ of the ship was diamond or higher (924 Gold, 459 Platinum, 273 Emerald, 591 Diamond, 401 Diamond Plus, 39 Pinnacle) Entertainment/Activities: We really enjoyed Saturday Night Fever (the dancers playing the Puerto Rican couple were impressive) and Encore, the ice skating show. The headliners were a mixed bag with a magician, a juggler, a few comedians and a few singing acts. Trivia seemed to be really well attended and there was always something going on. Due to the demographics and weather, there was basically no line at the water slides, Flowrider, rock climbing wall and no one in the pools or Splashaway Bay. Itinerary: The ports are not the most exotic or exciting, but they’re all pretty easy to navigate. If you’re looking to get good New England/Maritimes food like lobster rolls and seafood chowder, this is a great itinerary. We ended up doing RC excursions for all the ports except for Boston, but you really didn’t need to do an excursion to enjoy the ports. Our favorite port ended up being Boston, where we did the self-guided Freedom Trail tour via the Freedom Trail App. One thing we really liked about this itinerary is that we had a lot of time in many of these ports. A lot of times we were docked with an NCL ship and we were almost always in port a few hours longer than they were. There was also an opportunity to explore some nightlife for a few of the ports due to our late time leaving (Boston at 9pm, Halifax at 8pm and Saint John at 11pm) Weather: We had amazing weather. It only rained on our embarkation day and occasionally in the early morning of some of our sea days. In Boston, it was in the mid-70s and for the rest of the ports it was in the mid-60s with pretty much full sunshine. For people looking for fall foliage, we were still a bit early. The only place where it was really starting to peak was in Saint John, our last port stop, it should really come into full force in the next 1-2 weeks. Embarkation/Disembarkation (from Cape Liberty): Impressively easy and fast. We had an 11:30 boarding time, but got to the port at 10:05, through security/check-in by 10:15 and waited in the holding area until we boarded at 10:45. Disembarkation was just as easy, but complicated by the fact that the luggage tag number fell off one of our suitcases, so we had to find it in the “lost luggage” area at the end of the terminal. It probably would have taken us < 10 minutes to disembark, but ended up taking 15 minutes instead. Overall: We really enjoyed this cruise. The itinerary was nice, the service was amazing and while Liberty is a bit dated, we would happily sail her again, especially if we can get the same or similar room. Some random tips: If you own at least 100 shares of Royal Caribbean stock, you can get some OBC (https://www.rclinvestor.com/contact-us/faqs/shareholder-benefit/). Here are the times that we sailed under the Verazzano Bridge: We left Cape Liberty right before 4pm and passed underneath the bridge at 4:15pm Coming into Cape Liberty, we passed underneath the bridge at 6:05am and were docked right before 7:00am The women’s restroom on deck 4 outside the theater only has 1 stall, so it’s a good idea to either go up or down a deck to a restroom that has 4 stalls. The showers in the locker room are nice and big, so I ended up using them after working out or being in the hottub. Also, there are fresh towels in the locker room that you don’t need to sign out, but you can’t bring them out of the fitness center. Huge thank you to Matt and the writers on the blog, as well as the many livebloggers who spend their precious vacation time sharing their experiences. The invaluable information and insight really made this one of the smoothest vacations we’ve ever done. Hopefully this review will be helpful to someone down the line.

Day 2 Man are we moving, also so is the water. I tried to do the mystery puzzle break in 270 but it was crowded and people were doing the most. I left and did a walk through. Then I hung out in the CL for almost 2hrs chatting with folks. Robin and MB overslept. Dinner was supposed to be at 7 so we could catch sequins and feathers. They sat us at 7:15 and guess what time they showed up.....if you guessed 8:15 you would be right. Dinner and service was miles better.

Thanks for asking ! We are fine. A couple of tornado scares but no damage here, thank goodness. One touched down a couple of miles from here but nothing close enough to be an issue for us. I guess one got the sheriffs office ! Spanish Lakes is close to the community where we rented while our house was being built, 3 years ago. Yikes ! We still have a bit of wind out there but nothing extreme. I think we are through the worst of it. It’s very sweet of you to check in on us ! I’m sure you’re still dealing with your own mess from Helene.

I wonder how many multi-outlet adapters they'll need to get 1.21 gigawatts

I have sea legs but this 60+ knot winds are killing me. I nearly flew away leaving the puzzle break. Which was a little harder than the one on Wonder......but fun nonetheless. I met @WAYNO who was super nice. We chatted about the casino taking our hard earned cash So on the way back from puzzle break I saw several diapers just sitting outside the cabins.....is this how they are disposed??? I don't have children but this doesn't seem like protocol. We brought binoculars and I spend 20min or so looking out. I saw a shark! It was so cool.

NOTE: This was the sailing where the maintenance issue was discovered. Icon of the Seas (7-Night Eastern Caribbean Sailing) We just returned from an incredible 7-night Eastern Caribbean sailing aboard Icon of the Seas in Ocean View stateroom 4180. Our planned itinerary included St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, but due to a maintenance issue onboard, we missed St. Thomas. Despite that hiccup, the overall experience was fantastic. Here’s a breakdown of the highlights and lowlights from our trip: The Ship Icon of the Seas is a stunning vessel, truly living up to its name. From the moment we stepped onboard, we were impressed by the spacious design. Despite the ship’s size, it never felt overwhelmingly big. The elevators are incredibly efficient, and there is ample seating throughout the ship, which was a pleasant surprise. However, considering the ship is still so new, we did notice more wear and tear than expected—stains on the carpet and some peeling art, which was surprising for a ship that isn’t even a year old. Neighborhoods: -Surfside Neighborhood: We spent a lot of time here, particularly at Surfside Eatery (great shrimp cocktail!) and Surfside Bites. However, on sea days, Surfside became overwhelming. The noise, overstimulation, and crowded conditions made it feel like you couldn’t escape, especially as parents. On other ships, you can switch off with your partner on the main pool deck, but here, you feel trapped. Also, the baby splash area was quite underwhelming, considering an entire neighborhood is dedicated to kids’ pool play. -Royal Promenade & Pearl Area: Loved the openness of the Royal Promenade with ocean views, but the Pearl area does get crowded. It's still a beautiful focal point of the ship. -Category 6 Water Park: We hit the water park on a port day in St. Maarten and had an absolute blast. No crowds, no lines—we rode everything multiple times. Highly recommend making use of this space when the ship is in port! Shows & Entertainment: -Starburst (Ice Skating Show): One of the best I’ve seen at sea! The Absolute Zero ice skating venue is fantastic, though it’s odd that you have to walk through a retail store and Playmakers to get there. -Aqua Action: This show in the Aquadome was nothing short of spectacular—easily one of the best shows onboard. -Crown’s Edge Zip Line: Totally worth the (pre-cruise) cost. I had so much fun that I got to do it twice, and the included video was a nice touch. Dining: -Main Dining Room: Our dining room staff, Yatin and Richard, were fantastic—especially with the kids. The food was typical cruise fare, but the service elevated the experience. -Izumi Hibachi: We were pleasantly surprised by how good this specialty dining experience was. The food was exceptional, and the show element was very entertaining. Highly recommend for anyone who loves hibachi. -Chop’s Grill: I’ll be honest - it was maybe my worst Chop’s experience in nearly 20 cruises. The food met expectations, but the service was off. -Windjammer: We ate here on our last night so we could maximize CocoCay, and the food was average. It's a reliable option, but nothing stood out. Worth noting - they served the leftover lobster tails in the Windjammer this night. Perfect Day at CocoCay: This was our 16th visit to CocoCay, and it was as good as ever. Royal Caribbean continues to deliver a top-notch experience on their private island—best in class, in my opinion. Other Notes: -Bars & Service: I never experienced a crowded bar onboard, and the service was always fast and friendly. -Casino: The ventilation in and around the casino was excellent—no smoke smell whatsoever, which was a huge plus. -Kidfinder Feature: A cool new feature Royal is piloting is "Kidfinder." You can put a wristband on your child and track their location in the Royal Caribbean app. It’s a great feature for families. Challenges: -Crowds on Sea Days: The pool deck was slammed on sea days, and finding a chair was nearly impossible. We even encountered some weird aggression from fellow guests, which was disappointing. There’s plenty of entertainment around the ship, but if you’re hoping for pool time on sea days, it’s tough. -Scheduling of Adult-Only Activities: I wasn’t thrilled that many adult-only activities were scheduled during times when you have to pay for childcare in Adventure Ocean. -A/C Issues: The heat onboard was intense at times, and some guests reported their A/C wasn’t functioning properly. -Back to the Future: While onboard, Mike the Cruise Director (fantastic, by the way) announced Back to the Future would be the broadway show on Star of the Seas. Now I have to book Star! Disembarkation: One of the smoothest disembarkation experiences we’ve ever had. From stateroom to sidewalk in 15 minutes—fantastic! Final Thoughts: Despite some minor issues, this was a fantastic cruise. Icon of the Seas truly lives up to its hype in terms of entertainment, dining, and overall experience. The ship’s design and features are impressive, and it’s clear Royal Caribbean is pushing the boundaries with what they can offer. I’d highly recommend this ship, but just be prepared for busy sea days and potential hiccups like the maintenance issue we encountered. All in all, a memorable and enjoyable trip! I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

Kia ora koutou! Long time lurker, first time live blogger! I have read most if your blogs over the past year or two, gaining tips and tricks that you truly can't find anywhere else (as well as hilarious anecdotes.) I finally thought I should repay the favour and since we're doing a route that hasn't been blogged about it a long time, hopefully it may be of some inspiration! Who? Myself (Morgan, early thirties, stock standard millenial) & my mum (Carolyn, boomer set on spending my inheritance on travelling together! ) We live about as far apart as a mum and daughter can - she's back in my hometown in New Jersey and I've been living in New Zealand for the past 6 years! We only started cruising once I graduated from college and now usually go once a year-ish. We are destination cruisers - other than a 4 night trip to the Bahamas, we have never cruised the Caribbean! Because of this, we also have mainly been on Radiance class ships. What? We will be doing the 14 night Panamal Canal transit from LA to New Orleans on Brilliance of the Seas. We always have pretty limited options as I am a teacher and fit our trips in around my school breaks. Luckily, my principal has signed off on 3 extra days of leave so we will get some time in NOLA after the cruise. Day 1: Fly to LA (the time difference means I land before I left!) Day 2: Embarkation Day 3: Sea Day Day 4: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Day 5: Sea Day Day 6: Sea Day Day 7: Huatulco, Mexico Day 8: Sea Day Day 9: Sea Day Day 10: Sea Day Day 11: Sea Day - Panama Canal Transit Day 12: Cartagena, Colombia Day 13: Sea Day Day 14: Sea Day Day 15: Sea Day Day 16: Disembark in New Orleans Day 17-18: New Orleans Day 19/21: Fly back to Auckland (lose a day in the process so arrive 2 days later at 5 am and head straight to work!) I know this is a pretty unique itinerary, so please feel free to ask any questions! I am unfortunately not usually a shenanigans magnet, but will try to keep my eyes peeled. (The 14 nighter people are usually a bit quieter!)

It's not so much about the small price hike that bothers me. It is the reduction in services and other changes that were put in place after the restart. The quality of cleaning on a turnover day is unsatisfactory. I've discovered personal items left behind in a cubby, closet, and under a couch cushion on 3 separate cruises this year. The used pink tights/pantyhose under the couch cushion on Utopia and the spoiled food hidden behind the mirrored cubby in the desk area on Grandeur are really what broke it for me. I'm not looking for a comp'ed meal or anymore RCL swag items to placate my frustration with RCL's cuts in service and quality. I addressed the issues while onboard with Guest Services & the Crown (Diamond) Lounge Concierge and was very specific on the end of cruise survey. Don't ask me to rate everything 10 of 10 on the survey when we are obviously not get that kind of quality service for our $$.

Major bummer for me! I was supposed to be getting on Icon in just a few days (Sept. 28th) and that sailing was just cancelled! I was so looking forward to seeing this new ship! As I already had airfare planned all the way from Alaska and leave time carefully scheduled off work, I did have some flexibility in that we were leaving for two weeks (one week cruise; one week visiting family). I immediately worked with my wonderful MEI travel agent @michelle, and was able to re-book onto Adventure the following week, so just flipped and switched around my travel plans. Fortunately, I was able to get things shuffled around without too much hassle. At least I'll be able to get on a cruise ship for vacation! Adventure is one I've not been on yet, so will get to add that one to my list, too. THIS IS WHY I USE A TRAVEL AGENT!

We had no luck with five restaurants/bars. But I had scoped out The Twisted Fish Company. I ran back while the vintages paid and was able to score a table with only a 15min wait. The manager was working as a host and offered to seat me, so I would have a table because my party was here yet. I sat down and was just getting water when everyone walked in. The menu looked good and everyone was happy. Robin got onion rings and clam chowder. MB got a grilled chicken burger with a side salad. I tried the exotic burger with fries and my brother got halibut tacos and a pasta salad. Don't judge . I don't eat seafood so my options was limited. The exotic burger had elk, bison, wagyu and wild boar. It was very good. The best meal of the entire voyage so far. We all clean our plates and was happy. The manager thanked us for coming in and we went back to the Tshirt Company to get snacks. The to the jewelry store next door so the vintages could get Alaskan charms. It was almost 4 so we walked back to the ship. My brother and I both believe the vintages may go back to the room and nap.....possibly miss dinner even though they are excited for the short beef ribs. Our neighbors are missing pineapples again.

I want to talk about dinner and those shenanigans. The first night we were sat in the Silk dining room table 734. It took a while to order, first night growing pains, but she served us one at a time, one item at a time. She completely forgot about one of my brother's apps and entrees. There was a table next to us that literally stared at us all throughout their dinner. Robin wasn't having this and would stare at them to force them to either look away or say something. They never said anything, it was awkward. Anyway, although the service was meh, we tipped our service staff. I want to say since we had MTD and a standing 7:45 reservation, we prefer to tip as we go because we might not be sat at the same table. Robin gave her a tip first and she did 3 quick bows, then MB tipped her, and she clutched her chest and did 3 more bows and when my brother handing her ours, she did 4 deep bows. We learned the deep bows are for royalty, so it was special. She was so happy for the tip. I loved that she was happy, but it was also awkward. The second night we were sat at a different table and the service was on point. Again, the vintages gave their tip and we ours, man were they bending and grinning**. They were trying to give us so much and do so much. My brother got bread wrapped up to take back to the room and we were told to request this table, which we did because we liked the service. The third night they sat a walk-in at our table because we were there late after Starwater. We were sat at the table next to ours. The server was a fast talker, she wasn't bad, but she had to repeat herself a lot to the vintage because she talked so fast. Anyway, Robin didn't make it to dinner but our wonderful waiters from night two came over and apologized for us not having our table. They brought our bread and drinks, confusing our current service crew. I overheard them telling them things we liked. It was so funny because other tables were looking like why is that table getting 4 people??? So when we tipped our server, she was ecstatic, she screamed WIFI!!! We were confused and she was like "now I can afford Wi-Fi, I am going to buy Wi-Fi" and skipped away. She then brought out my brother's bread to go. We were tickled about the Wi-Fi, so we told Robin. Night 4 we got our night 2 waiters, and they went out their way to set us up with drinks, bread and menus despite two other tables that had been sat before us waiting. We laughed and while we were waiting the other two sets of servers came over to say hello and ask if we needed anything. Robin said at the end of dinner she was going to give our server from night 3 her tip because she understands that any little bit helps. So we have good service and tip our waiters who are really bending and grinning. I mean they brought extra stuff, breads already prepared to go for my brother, lemons because they overheard Robin saying she needed to make tea in the room for her throat. Just on it. Then Robin calls over the waitress from night 2 to give her the tip. She literally screamed in appreciation, the screamed WIFI!! then covered her mouth and said sorry this is a secret. She thanked us and said we are too generous; she is happy to meet people like us. Then she bowed. It really made Robins night, she said she enjoys seeing joy on people's face and can't wait to eat tonight. **the term "bending and grinning" is what vintage black people use to say when someone is doing the most in a manner that almost seems flirtatious.

I think if I wasn't also doing the digital diary on top of excursions I would have already mentioned the shenanigans . I promise I will. Including the pineapple neighbors. But some coolness......Chris Wong is onboard for the crossing. Let me say that Anna the casino host is the friendliest host I have ever met on any ship. Then today I came in for a drink before dinner and Chris was sitting there as friendly as ever. He is so nice and they took photos with my brother. I haven't spent nearly enough time in the casino this cruise. It's tiny, somehow it feels as small as or smaller tham Grandeur, not nearly as big as Freedom or Mariners. I'm still playing off my freeplay to cash money. I lose most then win a decent sum to stay even. We have gone to the CL every day of this cruise and the most people I have seen in there at one time is 8. We usually go around 5pm and stay close to 6:30 because it's a great place to relax and work. Prime time and sometimes we are the only one's there. Anyway I played while my brother chatted with Chris and Anna. Then we met the vintages for dinner. They had plans to see the Earth, Wind and Fire tribute at 8:15. So we went at 6:55 to eat early.......we got sat at 7. But it was slow going. Our dinner was over at 9. Don't get me wrong we had our wonderful waiters from night 2. But it was singing and dancing night . Dinner was hottest but the taste......we all gave my brother our chicken parm. I was beyond dissatisfied with my lemon curd tart......no lemon curd to be had!!!! It was lemon pudding and gelatin garbage. The best part was the Caesar salad sans dressing. Why is a salad the best part? We have been on two tours and on both tours then mentioned all the food comes from somewhere else. I decided this is the reason the food quality has been bad. I haven't had one great meal, this is usually covered by specialty and Jamie's didn't deliver. Tomorrow has a taste of USA and my favorite thing baked potato soup......I'm not holding my breath on it delivering. Wayno gave me a duck. Also we have been dining in the Silk dinning room. Tonight's animal is a whale I think.

Okay I'm on the ship. Jamie's is at 12:15 but I'm at 270 waiting on the vintages to finish eMuster.

I'm currently finishing up on 9-day cruise on Liberty of the Seas which has been my first cruise since 2019 (Vision of the Seas, Greek Isles) and it's been interesting to look back at how much has changed since then. Here's a list of things I've noticed: Things that got better: Embarkation - this was impressively fast. We had an 11:30am boarding time, but showed up at 10:05, got through security and check-in by 10:15, were in the waiting area until the ship started boarding at 10:45. Previously we had to wait in multiple lines, first for security, then for check-in, then to board. Muster 2.0 - Perfect, 100% beats having to grab your lifejacket and wait for people before getting briefed. MDR Service/Time - We had early set time dining and it's been amazing. We're fast eaters and our dinners at the MDR have been done in less than 60 minutes. One night, we wanted to try to make a show at 6pm, so we told our amazing waiters and decided to skip dessert. We were seated at 5pm and out by 5:30pm and were able to get great seats for the show. Previously, MDR dinners took 90+ minutes for us. The internet - Starlink really is a game-changer, it has been consistent and you can watch videos with it. Previously, you'd be lucky to be able to connect to the internet at all, and if you did, you could barely check e-mail The app - The app has been consistent and a great resource. Previously, it didn't always work due to internet connectivity issues Omelette station - Having pagers for the made-to-order omelette station in the Windjammer is a great change. Previously, you'd have to wait in a line until the omelette was done Things that got worse: Room Cleaning - Currently have once a day cleaning (unless you have a suite) and we barely see the room steward. Previously, there was twice a day service and you saw the room steward a lot more. To be honest, we actually preferred the once a day cleaning, but objective it is worse Provided Toiletries - Currently have the all-in-one shampoo/bodywash (no conditioner). Previously had separate bottles for shampoo, bodywash and conditioner. We just brought our own, so it was fine MDR menus - the trade-off for the faster time in the MDR is that the options are definitely more limited now compared to before. Also, if you order multiple entrees, they bring them out one at a time instead of all at once. Still solid choices, but a noticeable decrease in variety Windjammer hours - The Windjammer closes at 8:30pm now, previously it would stay open later. Not a huge deal given that there's always Sorrento's and Cafe Promenade Things that have stayed the same: Crew - The crew has been amazing like usual. Always helpful with a smile Food Quality - We didn't feel that the actual quality of the food changed much. Indian food is still consistently great (other asian food not so much), other food is ok to good, desserts usually look better than they taste Entertainment - Great variety, thoroughly enjoyed Saturday Night Fever and the ice skating show on this trip Add-ons/Nickel and Diming - They've stayed pretty good with this. There's always opportunities to spend money to add-on to your experience, but it's never intrusive or disruptive. We haven't spent any extra money on the ship outside of our pre-booked excursions and have felt no pressure to spend anything more. Liberty and Vision are pretty different ships, so it's not a perfect comparison, but hopefully this gives some people an idea of what it's been like to cruise pre and post-pandemic. I'd be interested to hear what other people's experiences have been

I’ll go ahead and ask for forgiveness as this is my first attempt at blogging anything. So here goes… We love just west of the hurricane damage done in east TN and west NC. I have friends working Search and Rescue and relief efforts as I type this so I’m of mixed emotions sitting in this suite. But this trip has been booked for almost two years so here we go. Drove down as Mrs Smokey does not fly. We’re working on that phobia as it’s very limiting. But our travels were fine and we overnighted at Springhill suites near Port Canaveral. I have to def recommend this one as it’s cheap, very nice rooms, and close to the port. Boarding- arrived at the port at 9:45am. Had to wait until 10am to start check-in. They have changed the Star class check since we were here in March. The shore genie meets you at the curb, scans the passports, then hands you off to the ship Genie. Genie then takes you on board. From the curb to the muster station onboard took from 10:00 to 10:06 including the metal detectors. We have Alexa for our Genie for both cruises. She’s been great. I saw Berty in passing a couple times so far. Here’s the suite photos:

We had Mason Jar for lunch. It’s all of our first time eating there and it was a hit. I tried to snag some pics of what everyone ordered. chicken and waffles Frozen PB&J Shrimp PoBoy Red Velvet Pancakes Cinnamon Roll no complaints on MJ and we’re coming back for dinner next week. Looking Hooked for dinner.

Day 2. “Best of Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii, small group” RC excursion along the Amalfi coast. This is 10 hours. It was a long and exhausting day. Woke up at 5am and got room service breakfast. Naples to Positano was a 2 hour drive without stopping. Driver and guide both were very good. Overall we enjoyed this excursion. We knew it was a small sampling to see each location. Pompeii was our favorite by far. Mt Vesuvius was looming over the ancient city and is still an active volcano. It erupted in 79 AD, hot ash covered the area, forever preserving the town and inhabitants residing there. Positano is a town built into the cliffside, and had amazing views, walked down the steep stairs to the beach, ate a cannoli. Had a limoncello shot, the entire store featured lemon themed items, as large lemons are grown in this region. It smelled like lemons throughout the town. Lunch at a hotel had average food, but the view was incredible. Amalfi Coast is best seen from a boat the guide said. I would recommend this excursion if you set realistic expectations. One issue was the small bus couldn’t accommodate people above average height. I’m 6’3” and my legs were hurting from the lack of legroom and having my knees smashed against the seat in front of me. In the end I was happy to see these destinations though. Onboard Odyssey we’ve experienced the best service and friendliest staff of any cruise we’ve been on. This is our favorite ship now. Really don’t have any major complaints. I’m grateful to experience this trip, reflecting back on the last few years and all that’s happened, not everyone makes it to 38 years old. Next is a sea day and after that Athens. This is our first time in Greece and Turkey. Acropolis and Ephesus are the next 2 excursions. Weather has been ideal, neither too cold or too hot. 65-75 fahrenheit. No rain.

So I had a wedge salad, fruit, and baked potato soup for brunch as the plan was to get room service. The vintages have been ordering room service every day since the 2nd day of the cruises. I only wanted Lay's and a steak quesadilla. All the rest of the food was my brother's. He said the wings were cooked good, all the food was hot, but they had no flavor. He ordered Buffalo and BBQ, fries, salmon, and two salads. We saw another whale while eating as we opened the balcony door to see out. The cabin above us were arguing about the whales. Apparently they paid to see them in Juneau and felt like they wasted their money because they saw so many here. We opted out of getting our room serviced yesterday but today we are laughing. My brother eats and drinks a lot so we have over 24 soda cans that need to be trashed. He has flattened most but in any case we look trifling. We have packed up. When we get back we will put the last of our clothes in one bag and be ready for our disembarkation day.

Juneau for the win. Let's get into it. I got off around 10:30 after checking with the vintages. We designated a meeting spot in case service was spotty. Which let me say it has been nonexistent in the highest elevated spots. I got none on the Klondike bus ride, no service until we made it downtown. The same for as soon as I left the dock today. Juneau port is actually a really good port logistically to me. If is very walkable, even for those with limited mobility. I found the staff to be mostly friendly and plenty of benches and seating available for those who need it. It was us and a Disney ship in the morning, later I believe a Holland ship joined us. My brother excursion, which was ziplining, suffered from the same problem as yesterday. 9 people should have come and only 5 showed up. Again this is hundreds of dollars wasted because no refunds could be had. So the excursion turned into an hour and forty-five minutes instead of three and a half. So as soon as I made it to the dock my brother texted me he was on his way back. We decided to get the tram because there was no line. It was breathtaking but I'm afraid of heights, so I got a little woozy looking down directly . It was full and about a 5min ride. We made it to the sky bridge and did a little souvenir shopping. There were trails to be had but the rain had started pretty heavy and we needed to meet the vintages soon. Of course they weren't at the meeting spot so we went into Taku wild Alaskan seafood and my brother got some smoked salmon in a can to take back. I peeked into the attached restaurant and decided it was a contender. We walked to some more shops and found the Tshirt company. Everything was 50% off since it was the end of season and we got some great deals. The vintages rode the tram while we shopped. My brother and I had time so we walked the port. We checked out a few restaurants but the lines were blocks, two places had an hour wait at 12:30. Tracy's crab shack was what the vintages wanted because Robin has been begging for clam or seafood chowder. The vintages didn't see us and went directly to the Tshirt Company to shop. We kept calling them but they were too busy shopping. My brother thought this and went to get them.

I'm up. I'm always up. Please don't ask me how this scrolled into my Amazon feed. It just did. Don't press me further. We are not swingers. I swear. I hate being naked, much less in front of strangers. However ... would it be wrong to buy this and randomly stick it on a door on our next cruise? Or maybe not randomly. I'm thinking this would've been fair play for our Stage 5 Clingers on our last Symphony Cruise. Yes, i purposely included the part that said 100 were bought in the last month .... Either I'm not the only one with this idea or ...... P.S. Chris Wong

Best of Sitka continues... OMG I SAW BEARS!!!! Okay I'm regular now. We brought a few gifts because the money supports the raptors.....our justification for spending . Anyway we got about an hour to spend there meeting all the Injured birds. I mean I don't fool with birds but I love the cute owls from a distance. We got back on the bus, Mike our driver was funny and friendly. He took us to the bear fortress. It was the shortest tour, about 30min. The had brown and black bears. One was trying to dig a hole out. One was shaking and a girl was making a TikTok about the bear "twerking" it was funny. The vintages were a smidge scared of the bears . It was a very short tour and with 8min to spare the vintages sent us to the little food truck for $9 popcorn that they throughly enjoyed. We then took our bus back to the national park/Totem place. We saw zombie salmon which was disgusting and then did the Totem trail. We had an hour here. With our photo ops and such it took us about 30min to do the trail and then we spent 15min in the Visitors center. It was pouring rain when we left. Even our driver was shocked by the heaviness of it. It was around 2 and our driver offered us the option of getting off downtown and catching a shuttle back. The vintages vetoed that and we stayed on back to the ship.

4 nights Rome pre cruise, 9 night cruise onboard Odyssey Of The Seas, sailing to Italy, Greece, Turkey. Naples, Athens, Ephesus, Santorini, Mykonos, Crete. Followed by 1 week in Florence Italy post cruise. My name is Brent. I made this vacation blog as my personal journal, and for everyone else to hopefully enjoy and help plan for their future travels, or to follow along on this Mediterranean adventure. This trip started with a 10 hour overnight flight on Delta airlines from Atlanta to Rome, we were fortunate to have the entire row to ourselves, the middle seat was empty. Alps mountain range was visible near the border of France and Italy. Spent 4 nights in Rome at Marcella Royal Hotel, same hotel as our honeymoon years ago. This hotel has a good breakfast on the rooftop with a view overlooking the city, rooftop turns into a bar at night with live music. Staying here immediately brought on a sense of nostalgia, feels like a lifetime ago we stayed here. Had a great time in Rome, in some ways I enjoyed it more than on my honeymoon to Rome 13+ years ago. I think it’s because I’m older now(38) and understand the complex menu options, culture, and customs more. Honestly some of the best meals I’ve ever had have been here in Rome on this trip. It’s heaven on earth for food lovers. My favorite meal was a panino with sautéed chicory, pecorino romano, tomato, and a hint of truffle cream. The small fried Sicilian pizza was good too, the same restaurant served arancini, a traditional Sicilian street food with a cone shape like the nearby volcano Mt Etna. In the morning we found a small hole in the wall coffee shop next to our hotel with almost no google reviews. A father and his son ran the place and asked us to sit, brought us a pistachio cornetto and cappuccino. Very friendly service and only 3€. Went to the Ice Club for cocktails, everything is made of ice including the frozen drinking cups. Staff there give everyone jackets to wear inside. There’s several private seating coves enclosed in ice. Saw most of the main sites during our time here. Got gelato at the famous chocolate waterfall place, Venchi Cioccolato. Took a pasta class(Rome With Chef), made tagliolini carbonara or cacio e pepe, and tiramisu desert. Tiramisu was delicious homemade because you can add generous amounts of Italian coffee liqueur similar to Bailey’s. Went on a food tour called Twilight Trastevere Rome Food Tour(Eating Europe), 4 hours, enjoyed 7 different restaurants, while walking with a group of 12 people and a local guide. Favorite food and drink was suppli fried rice cacio e pepe balls with red label Peroni beer. Fun group on the food tour, lots of laughs. Later, paddled a boat at the lake in Villa Borghese park. A woman was playing a harp and there were various live street musicians in that area. One playing a piano, trumpet, and singing popular modern songs was talented and drawing a crowd in Piazza del Popolo. At the same time the most luxurious funeral service I’ve ever seen was taking place. A Maserati hearse was driving slowly up to the twin churches in the piazza, carrying a casket, this high end luxury hearse was stuffed with flowers between the casket and vehicles windows. Men in black suits lined up at the church entrance. One end of the piazza was a somber mood mourning the loss of life, contrasted with the other end of the piazza - full of people happily strolling around and listening to the live musician. Also, randomly stumbled upon the world skate games in the park which was interesting to watch. Rome exceeded my expectations. Recorded 30,000 steps one day, I think that was a personal record, yes my feet were sore! Spent 1 night in the cruise port Civitavecchia at 7Bell’s House, booked on hotels.com for $80. Large bed, clean room. It’s a guest house so we had to use WhatsApp to message the owner(Stefano) our arrival time so he’d be there to check us in. WhatsApp and our Airalo ESIM both were used often on this trip and have worked well for navigation and communication purposes.

I received the full refund back to my credit card yesterday morning. I also received my Future Cruise Credit certificate at the same time… Ten days after the cancellation notice went out. Still bummed about the cancellation…but pleasantly pleased on how quick I got the refund/FCC.

We have been sitting here in Tallahassee watching all the storm chasers arrive. Publix and Walmart are closed but ABC Liquors is still open

Phew! I am onboard! Other than pushy crowds, everything has progressed well. We are in Windjammer trying to summons up enough ambition to push my way to the food bars.⁰

Whew! We have been BUSY! Yesterday we enjoyed the Top Tier event, we met Captain Angel, cruise director Elvis, and were treated to a performance from the aqua cast. I'm glad we went because the weather the next few nights will be touch and go for how windy it will be so I'm not sure if HIRO is going to be a go. We'll see what happens, the captain just made an announcement waves could be 5 feet which is not as big as on our way down. We had a great time on our Kennedy Space Center excursion. Third attempt was the charm for us! We had just enough time to hit the major highlights - the bus out to the Saturn rocket and launch pads, we drove past the incredibly massive and expansive Vehicle Assembly Building that can be seen from the port, and the crawler/transporters. Also saw the Atlantis, which was super emotional for us 80's kids as the space shuttle program was at its zenith when we were growing up and we remember the tragedies of Challenger and Columbia clearly. There's just something about experiencing the scale of these shuttles in person and the ingenuity of the American spirit that really gets us in the feels. We were back to the ship by 6 so we had time to get to Boleros for some pre-dinner cocktails and headed to the MDR. We couldn't get the same table with Iman and had a different server who was not as excellent. After dinner we did some 80's name that tune and then hung out in the pub until the 80's party started. It was a late night for us! Today we were at Hideaway Beach on Coco Cay. I bought our passes for about $30 each a few months ago and glad I did. We had an awesome day bouncing from pool to ocean to our loungers. Kenton was our bartender at the pool and he was excellent, we loved chatting with him and he mixed some great drinks. Food was pretty good, we liked the ceviche and the BBQ chicken pizza, coconut shrimp, and mozz sticks. Tonight we have Chef's Table for dinner, which I'm very much looking forward to.

Day 4, Athens Greece. Visited the 2,500 year old structures that form the Ancient Acropolis. Got there at 10am and it was starting to get crowded. The breeze and mild temps in the 70s made it tolerable. Beautiful 360 degree view at the top overlooking capital city of Greece. Honestly this was probably my least favorite destination, Athens has a population of 3 million and it was chaotic and too crowded.

Day 3, at sea. Went on the northstar for a view above the ship. Worked out at the gym because a large calorie intake was coming next. Lunch at Giovanni’s, got the chocolate ravioli and banana nutella stromboli for desert which was baked in the pizza oven next to us. Took a nap on the balcony. Headed to the pool deck. Went to the buffet for dinner..surprisingly didn’t get kicked out. Now in a food coma and going to bed.

Cruise day 1. We walked 10 minutes with luggage to Largo Della Pace for the free shuttle to the cruise terminal. This is my first time cruising from here and we arrived at 9:30am. Security let us in and mistakenly thought we were crew. They asked us to stand outside until 10am when passengers were allowed in. After that everything went smoothly. It’s a very nice terminal and comfortable. This is our first junior suite and it felt good to be among the first passengers to board. Drove bumper cars and relaxed in the jacuzzis. Dinner and service at Coastal Kitchen was excellent. Ship capacity is apparently 82%. Coastal Kitchen and Solarium were mostly empty when we went there.

Hi - just read Calista’s blog post on European tours and it was really good. however I would like to point out a couple of things that will allow folk to show courtesy when in the U.K. 1. It is not a country in its own right. It is made up of 4 different countries - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus the Channel Islands and Isle of Man 2. the U.K. is also known as Great Britain and Northern Ireland 3. A cruise to Greenock (Glasgow) or Inverness includes Scotland. It is not just to England. We may speak the same language (mostly) and use the same currency (mostly) but we are not England and there are many people (not all) here who do not want to be governed by England. It is helpful and polite to know where England stops and Scotland starts please accept this post in the manner that it is offered - in a spirit of teaching not correction - from a proud Scot

Another change up tonight. I elected to also remain in our cabin at dinnertime. Imagine my very pleasant surprise when one of our little girls from our first table brought me a complete steak dinner. These servers have all been so good to us. I wish folks such as these could live close to us so I could see them and their children do well.

Boarding was SMOOTH. We arrived about 10:40 a.m., dropped the bags with the porters and then parked. Parking at Bayonne is a little different from COVID times, we had been able to park in the garage in 2022 but garage is now handicap only. We parked outside in a secure lot, a very short walk from the terminal. Because we got Express Checkin we essentially got routed through the suites/pinnacle line and boarded in less than 15 minutes. We were onboard about 30 minutes before our checkin time. Our muster station is guest services so we got that out of the way and then relaxed in the Rising Tide bar to activate our deluxe beverage packages. After 2 drinks we went up to the Windjammie for lunch. Can confirm, they have cold lobster tails, mussels, clams, and crab claws. It's a huge footprint for a buffet but most of the space is taken up by food and beverage with very little available seating around the perimeter. We did get a small table for two and ate quickly. After that we walked forward to the Solarium bar for a G&T and waited for rooms to be ready. We stopped into Central Park (amazing, we can't wait to be there at night) and are now relaxing a bit in the room. We have my favorite configuration: bed by balcony and the headboard situated forward. This means I can lay in bed and watch the ocean go by. We are loving the modern feeling of the cabin (very reminiscent of the Anthem) and Mr. Reg has already remarked how much more spacious it feels than our Brilliance cabin. We are also port side, meaning a stunning view of lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and Brooklyn. We don't expect luggage for another few hours and sail away is at 4ish. I anticipate we'll head to the Boardwalk next to explore that neighborhood and then up to the sundeck or back to Solarium as we leave the harbor.

The Juneau port is great so far. Lots of options, on my way to meet my brother at the tram.....it's colder here than any port we've been to.

I got me a sandwich from 270. They were showing Singing in the Rain, yes the vintages wanted to watch it and had the time of their lives . I sat in the library and ate it, then went back to the room to make some calls. My brother returned around 3:50. He said only 3 people did the Klondike rock climbing. It was originally 7 for what was a $200 excursion on sale and people paid but didn't show!!!. He came back with souvenirs.....aka scraps. But he had fun. Then he got some wraps and a salad from 270 since it was the only thing open.

That bear reminded me so much of my fur baby.

We were starving and the plan was to get lunch in port. I tried to explain it would be only one restaurant at the port by the ship but they said we can eat there. We get there and it is $15 for a cup of chowder and $17 for just a burger and no fries. MB is not having this......as she shouldn't. But it's 10min before the WJ closes, so we book it. I try a few desserts but end up getting chicken satay from Splash Away Cafe. It was delicious . We went back to the room to put up our stuff and get dry. We then filled out our Canadian customs forms. We took ours to guest services and got 2 for the vintages because they messed them up. It was close to 5,so we lleft the room to go to the library but went to the CL instead. We have Starwater at 7. My brother needed to answer some emails, and I needed to do this. It hasn't been full in here no evening. I plan to go in the morning and see if that's when it pops. Tonight is taste of Italy and that lemon tart is what I'm looking forward to most.

Adventure was our first ship back in 2002 and we fell in love with cruising on her. We just sailed her again this past July, and we had a great time. You have to go in with the right expectations. She's older, without the bells and whistles of the big ships. There are shows, but they are not big and splashy like Oasis class or Icon Class. You have to be ok with visiting the WJ. But the crew is great, and it takes you back a bit to what many loved about cruising in the first place.

I always wonder if the upside down pineapples are someone playing a joke or is it real? May be that is because I can't fathom that really occurs so it only enters my mind as a joke. I've seen them before on cruise doors and always walk faster past them as if someone is going to reach out and grab me and pull me in ...

Okay day 1 As we know lunch was disappointing. Sadly so was dinner but that was expected because the welcome aboard menu is hard for me. After lunch the rooms were ready so we headed there hoping our luggage was there. Despite filling out the form, none of our request were honored. Our luggage was delivered after 4. Vintages went for a nap and my brother and I went to the Seaplex for bumper cars........we are definitely pre-vintage because all the stuff was acting up after it . We went earlier than the advertised start times and they started early. We waited 5 rounds for our turn. It was fun but man was our bones aching. On the way the cabin next to us was decorating........ We did a walk on deck, taking photos. Saw lots of people in the pool and using the Flowrider. People on deck like a regular warm cruise, surprisingly and not so, many loose butt checks. The solarium was also popping. Decided we needed a drink to warm up so headed to the CL, which is the Golden Room on the wayfinder. For the first time ever in my history of sailing I was checked off a list. The diamond concierge had a list and checked our names against it. The CL is small on Quantum or maybe this is something new. She was super nice and made sure we had all our shore excursion tickets. Our CL server was new and quite shocked we were D+ and able to cruise. This is his first Royal contract, he talked a lot. There are a lot of new crew members on this ship. The room steward for the vintages was also new and had them leave the room because beds needed to be split. So they went to MTD at 7:15. They texted us and we left the CL to join them. We sat in the silk room and it was a lot of red. Service was lacking as she was literally bringing one item at a time. Also both MB and Robin were upset about the table to my right staring at us.i will admit it was off-putting. Fun facts According to our server not only is seeded bread not offered on the first night, neither is lemonade. Quantum has toilet seat covers, also the men's and women's bathrooms are right across in some places.....meaning you can see in each. None of us went into the WJ today. There is a shiraz cabernet.

Okay so I will post this while my digital diary post on my phone. With the digital diary they want me to do a couple of tasks each day. Today I needed to complete a video of who/what/when/where and why. Plus give a description of what I thought of the ship. The internet seems to work well but as soon as I open the app for the diary, it takes like 5mins for the videos to upload. I have to say it doesn't feel like a cruise to me. I think it is all the coats and the general outside of the port looking so industrial. I do plan to try to meet up with @WAYNO at some point, maybe I will catch him in the casino. I forgot how beautiful Quantum class bathrooms are, the lights look like chandeliers and the wood coloring makes the bathrooms look sleek and clean. I will be honest the outside doesn't look too great, but the inside is beautiful. I still hate the Esplanade and how the rooms are positioned but I like the ship overall. Also, a lady was vaping in the bathroom . Spoiler alert........Jamie's on Quantum is garbage. It was probably the worst meal I have ever had at a specialty restaurant. I think I paid $13 for the lunch so I am not mad enough to ask for a refund, but it was close. Even my brother, who is like Mikey, said he was disappointed. The photos are on my phone so I will post a more detailed review along with room photos after the video loads up.

OK a slight backtrack as I wait for the vintages to complain about something at guest services. The shuttle was supposed to load up at 9:30 but didn't until close to 10am. We made it here around 11am. It was actually pretty empty. We were on the ship in 5min. Which let me say that getting the shuttle they check you in. So we only went through security. Having never been on Quantum but having been on Odyssey I was prepared. It still is beautiful and clean to be the first. It felt familiar but it also feels wrong. Most of the specialty restaurants are on deck 5, vintages looks so clean and fancy. So far the internet is fast. However they have made 2 announcement that the rooms will be ready after 1. We just set to Jamie's.

Thanks for the tip! With you a 1000% here. CP is fine, but i don't share the allure that many feel about it. I go on a cruise to feel connected to the ocean, not to feel like i should be watching an episode of Friends. This is my fave cruise newbie question (next to: Hey, i think it would be easier if i dropped my luggage off at the ship the night before we embark. Can i do that?)

If I was a betting woman..................until he dies because she is absolutely LOVING it. She is retired, no more getting up at 2am to be at work at 6am.......I already mentioned it takes her forever to get ready. She doesn't have to deal with people, and he also has a nurse who comes 2-3 times a week; so, her nursing of him is sort of limited. She sounds the happiest I have ever heard her in my 39 and 1/2 yeas of living. I knew all my life all she wanted was a man to take care of her and her needs are canned tuna........not caviar.......or even salmon. She just wants a shopping spree occasionally at Dollar tree..........which he provides.